The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles are likely to receive further price hikes in the future, according to Circana analyst.
Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Thought Leader at Circana (NPD), took to Blue Sky to react to the PlayStation 5 price changes in the US. According to him, this may not the last time we’ll see upticks in the price of consoles, likely referring to both the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
On August 20, 2025, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that, due to a challenging economic environment, it has made the decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21. The updated recommended retail prices are 549.99 dollars for the PlayStation 5, 499.99 dollars for the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, and 749.99 dollars for the PlayStation 5 Pro.
The announcement follows predictions made earlier this year by Daniel Ahmed, Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners. According to Ahmed, a price hike was likely if the U.S. and China failed to reach a tariff agreement by mid-August. He explained that Sony had stocked up on PS5 units ahead of anticipated tariffs and relied on a 90-day tariff pause to support its recent Days of Play promotion. With those measures now concluded, the analyst suggested that a price increase was back on the table.
Earlier, Microsoft announced a global price increase for all Xbox Series consoles and several key accessories, effective May 1, 2025. In the United States, the Xbox Series S and Series X lines saw substantial hikes. The Xbox Series S 512GB model, previously sold at $299.99, now retails for $379.99, while the 1TB version jumped from $349.99 to $429.99. The standard Xbox Series X is now priced at $599.99, a $100 increase from its original $499.99 price point. A new digital-only Xbox Series X variant is also available for $549.99, and the 2TB Galaxy Special Edition model saw its price increase to $729.99.
As for the Nintendo Switch 2, Ahmad recently suggested that the console may see a price increase by next year in 2026 as a result of increased tariffs for Vietnam.
